Nikon Coolpix 4300 Review

Silicon Valley Geek Digital Cameras Shopping

What's lacking in the new realms of most digital cameras is the phenomenon known as "shutter speed." Shutter lag is what gets on the nerves of many photography purists when it comes to the use of digital cameras. But with the release of new cameras, this problem is soon being corrected. Where as a film camera allows you to take as many shots as you can quickly, a digital camera that is not equipped with the burst mode will drive you crazy or make you cry as you miss your best opportunity to take the single most important shot of your life. I am writing this from experience as, on quite a few occasions, the speed of my digital camera let me down. My most recent shameful incident occurred at a recent wedding ceremony I was covering for a friend of mine. I was right in the presence of the subject (the groom and bride)but I could not do much since a few steps away in the aisle, I had already wasted my opportunity. What could I do in that situation? I only had my excitement to blame. All I needed to do was to wait until they walked much closer to me to take my shot.

How does this thing work?

Well most digital cameras are not equipped to allow to take a lot of action photos or just snap off various pictures of the same subject in a relatively short time. The models which are ill-equipped require more time between shots to save the image to the memory card. Just imagine the time it takes to save something on a disk. Keep in mind that the burst mode allows temporary storage of images. This way, you could take as many pictures as you can in no time. With the Nikon Coolpix 4300 Digital Camera, you can expect to find a shutter speed of 1/1000 to 8 seconds.

How does the Coolpix 4300 fare out there?

It is now fitting to take a good look at some of the features of this camera. There is no doubt that Nikon has tried to upgrade its new release of cameras. With the Coolpix 4300, NikonUSA shows it's commited to upgrading its various lines of products. The Coolpix 4300 is one of these digital cameras that both beginners and pro-users will fall for. It has features that are easy to use and very appealing. It features a 4-megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom-Nikkor lens which is 38mm to 114 mm. Now, Nikon could do better. Instead of giving us more optical zoom (only 3.0X) for a better image quality, we ended up with more digital zoom (4.0X) whose purpose is to blow up the image and the crop it, resulting in a much lower resolution or image quality. My point is that Nikon would better give the consumers more optical zoom. No matter what, when all is said and done, the pictures taken by the Coolpix can be compared with those taken by any other top digital camera out there.

Is the Coolpix Worth The Price?

There is no doubt that the Coolpix has some great features that any photographer will appreciate. Available on a PC and Mac platform, this camera can be powered by a Lithium Ion batteries which are one of the longest-lasting ones on the market right now. This translates in the fact that before the camera turns itself off, you will have the opportunity to squeeze in some nice shots. Now, you have to realize that if you use the LCD display, the battery juices will be used up much sooner. The LCD has a 1.5 size. The Coolpix also has a movie recording feature which you can exploit to make some small animations or home movies. Why not after all? If you have the inclination, the camera will let you do quite a few things.

What are some of the features you will find in this camera?

If you are a true beginner, exposure controls will be very useful to you. In addition, there's a fully automatic mode and 12 programmed scene modes. For the more mature users, the pros or advanced users, they can choose the manual mode allowing them to control metering, noise suppression, focus, flash and shutter speed. This camera easily connects to the computer by using a USB cable. Now, this is the kind of things you find on all types of upscale digital cameras. I would not advise anybody to a camera with the old serial or parallel ports. Its image format is JPEG. It has a storage capacity of 16 MB and Video out.

Here are some of the reasons why I like this camera. I think you will like it once you start using it. It's not that bad. Nikon is serious on improving its products and keeping the competitors away from its niche.

It's a sure buy. Nothing to regret at all. The software that accompanies it is very easy to use. While the instructions may be a bit gauche, but there is seriously nothing to worry about.